How Has Ebay Affected The Business Economy?: Why Shop on eBay and Tips to Keep You Safe

Most people who go out and shop, especially around the holidays, dread standing in those long lines at retail store and hunting for that special item that you need or just have to have. If this sounds like something you hate then you can turn to the internet for help. Many companies do have a website where you can go order their product, however, normally it’s at regular cost and the selection is limited to what the company in particular sells. Imagine being able to buy basically anything imaginable at a push of a button and from your own home. Shopping on eBay allows buyers to get what they want when they want by staying available 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Now a day’s a lot sellers even offer free shipping in order to entice shoppers to order from them. When I post my listings I try and start the bid out low, also to attract buyers. I believe there are many incentives for the general public to shop though eBay. First off the savings can be incredible, the range of products is massive, no lines and anybody can do it! I definitely recommend that you become familiar with the site though before you start buying, just to be on the safe side.

Occasionally an order can go bad whether it’s accidental or not, that’s why it’s important to do your homework before buying from a particular seller. EBay has implemented a wonderful feedback system. This system allows buyers and sellers to rate each transaction that they make through eBay. It allows the sellers to let other sellers know how a particular buyer is, like if they paid in the time frame designated by the seller or if they were a pain to deal with. The same goes with buyers, every time you buy something, you get to rate and comment on how the transaction went. Say the seller sends you the wrong item and refuses to fix the problem; this means you would give them bad feedback which other buyers would be able to see. If a buyer has enough bad feedback and a poor percentage number then I would recommend not purchasing from this particular buyer. I feel this system really makes eBay reliable because you have prior knowledge as to how he or she does business. I’d feel very comfortable buying from someone with a 100 percent rating as to one with a 95 percent or less. Also you would want to set up a PayPal account; this is a secure way to pay for your product and is favorable for both the buyer and the seller. They do have an option of sending a certified check or money order but I would only use this option as a last resort personally. A little tip of mine for getting the best possible deal is to wait until the last couple minutes of an auction. By doing this it allows you to outbid anyone else who’s interested in the same item and to make sure you get it.

I don’t know how many people out there are in the market for a ghost in a jar, or a Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich, but eBay’s where you would find something like that. There once was a grilled cheeses sandwich with an imprint of the Virgin Mary on it that sold on eBay for $28,000, I know that sounds ridiculous but somebody bought it. You definitely won’t find me shopping for anything like that; I normally stick to electronics or gifts for my friends and family. One great deal that I’ve gotten in the past was a 15ft HDMI cable for 8 dollars shipped, normally something like that could run up to 100 dollars and it works perfectly. You can buy cars, houses, boats, land, businesses and many more, I could go on and on with ideas of things you could buy on the site. Like I previously stated in this blog if you haven’t checked out eBay definitely give it a shot, its well worth it.

Which would you choose?